Looking to move out of New York City

[Wade Lippman]

San Diego claims the best climate by government test. Also some of the highest prices.. Will you need a job or not.

They do have the best climate anywhere, but it is wall to wall people. But perhaps since the OP is used to NYC...

[Jim Koepke]

My experience with the San Diego area is very limited.

My impression after visiting La Jolla, San Diego, CA, a norther part of San Diego was if you don't like the weather just wait a few minutes.

jtk

[Alex Zeller]

Careful how far north you move should you decide to. I've lost count of the number of people who think they can handle winter up here only to sell the house they just bought and move back south. But the same is true for living in a rural part of a state. Some people struggle with not having a wide assortment of stores close by. Or living without same day delivery from Amazon. For me, I doubt I could live in a city like NY. It would be too fast paced and too many people for me.

[Curt Harms]

A lot of folks from the city have moved into this area of SE PA and western NJ over the years...still commutable via train for those who work and need to go in...and a whole bunch less expensive. Many of the folks who have considered the property we have for sale in Bucks County are from the NYC area. (message privately if you want details)

I mostly can't stand James Carville but he made an observation about Pennsylvania that I think isn't far off. He said there's Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Alabama (rural).

[Scott Kilroy]

I'm a web developer so I can work pretty much anywhere. My wife works in the fashion so most likely she'll need to do something else.

[Scott Kilroy]

Thanks for everyone's advice. Looks like I'm going to do some traveling and I think renting for the 1st year is a good idea. As to why we want to move (a few people asked) New York is great but it's very expensive and to live here and not take advantage of what it has to offer is making less and less sense.

[Thomas Wilson]

I'm a web developer so I can work pretty much anywhere. My wife works in the fashion so most likely she'll need to do something else.

Well, it may come as a surprise to you that there are parts of the country with very poor internet. In the deep hollows and valleys of Tennessee, beyond the extent of fiber optic cable, your choices are various satellite internet providers. They are all slow, dependent on the weather and trees, and metered. But do include us on your itinerary anyway. We will have a shop tour, boat ride, and a home cooked meal.

[Jim Becker]

I mostly can't stand James Carville but he made an observation about Pennsylvania that I think isn't far off. He said there's Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Alabama (rural).

I think that there is some accuracy to that demographic observation, and it's about Urban/Suburban vs Rural as you note, and there are certainly other urban/suburban areas that are smaller than Pittsburgh and Philadelphia that reflect similar differences. PA isn't unique in this, either. Quite a few states, especially in "middle America" have one or two major urban centers with the remainder more rural. The OP's current state of NY is a good example as is NJ for the same thing. In the end, a relocation decision really does have to take into account not just things like climate and cost of living, but also that "interpersonal fit". There are a lot of places I wouldn't consider moving to (not that I have any intention of moving from this great area) because I wouldn't feel comfortable as an individual in society.

[Jack Frederick]

I subscribe to the Times and in this mornings “Opinion” section is a quiz titled, “Where should You Live?” Sometimes, timing is everything

[Stan Calow]

. . As to why we want to move (a few people asked) New York is great but it's very expensive and to live here and not take advantage of what it has to offer is making less and less sense.

A transplanted New-Yorker once told me he could live here (KC) and afford to fly to NYC for a weekend every month, on the difference in cost-of-living.

My suggestion is to focus on smaller cities with universities, as they are likely to have more culture, better services and good internet.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I mostly can't stand James Carville but he made an observation about Pennsylvania that I think isn't far off. He said there's Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Alabama (rural).

I think that there is some accuracy to that demographic observation, and it's about Urban/Suburban vs Rural as you note, and there are certainly other urban/suburban areas that are smaller than Pittsburgh and Philadelphia that reflect similar differences. PA isn't unique in this, either. Quite a few states, especially in "middle America" have one or two major urban centers with the remainder more rural. The OP's current state of NY is a good example as is NJ for the same thing. In the end, a relocation decision really does have to take into account not just things like climate and cost of living, but also that "interpersonal fit". There are a lot of places I wouldn't consider moving to (not that I have any intention of moving from this great area) because I wouldn't feel comfortable as an individual in society.

I'd suggest this is true about most if not all states. The urban areas may differ politically, dramatically from the rural areas.

No state is absolutely intrinsic politically. Nothing in life is that simple.

[John K Jordan]

Well, it may come as a surprise to you that there are parts of the country with very poor internet. In the deep hollows and valleys of Tennessee, beyond the extent of fiber optic cable, your choices are various satellite internet providers. ...

Yes, a very good thing to investigate before buying. In our area in TN some places have excellent internet and some don't. I used satellite internet (HughesNet) for a few years and hated it. But the cable company finally installed 450' of underground cable (at no cost) from the pole to the house and the internet is excellent. For some reason to our house they installed the type of cable that usually feeds an entire subdivision, the signal is almost off the charts. I use the cable company's gigabit service.

Some people use DSL. I know a few who use cellular hot spots. When the university went to virtual classes because of pandemic they provided hot spots - a friend did all his classwork that way.

JKJ

[Tom M King]

A fair number of people rent houses here on the lake for the off season. Mostly younger people who work from home. Not many full timers though. They're too scared of the dark country roads at night.

[Jim Becker]

I'd suggest this is true about most if not all states. The urban areas may differ politically, dramatically from the rural areas.

No state is absolutely intrinsic politically. Nothing in life is that simple.

The political aspect is only a piece of the differences. There are a wide range of other cultural differences that are often pretty visible between the more rural areas and the urban/suburban areas. The "way of life" kind of things.

[Bill Bukovec]

Mountain City, TN. We moved here 5 years ago from the Western suburbs of Minneapolis. Our property taxes are $1,300 for a 2900 square foot home on five acres. There are two sawmills in the county in addition to many portable bandsaw mills.

We pay no state income tax.